With many mutual funds requiring initial investments of thousands of dollars, it might seem like you have to be rich to start investing. If you know where to look, though, you can get started building wealth with just $50 to $200.

The Wall Street Journal suggests three ways to start small: index mutual funds, automatic investment plans, and index exchange-traded funds (ETF). Both index mutual funds and ETFs can help you build a diversified portfolio. Charles Schwab's index funds require just $100 to start or for about $200 you can get a bond ETF (Schwab US Aggregate Bond ETF, SCHZ) and an index ETF that covers US stocks and international stocks (Vanguard Total World Stock ETF, VT). If you use TD Ameritrade, which Mint Life also recommends, these are available commission-free and there's no minimum balance for your account.

Also, some funds waive the $1,000 or $3,000 (or other) minimum investment if you set up an automatic investment of just $50 a month. WSJ mentions USAA's 48 funds and Artisan Value Fund (ARTLX). The automatic investment plan is also a good way to ensure you actually follow through on your investment plans.

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Check out the full article for more details and investment options. Where are you on your investing goals?